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Mark Herras is busy preparing for the big day. Quite nervous about the turn out of his first ever solo show, but not too busy for a visit from the iGMA team.
Days before the official launch of Fantastic Man Mark Herras is busy preparing for the big day. Quite nervous about the turn out of his first ever solo show, Mark concentrates on doing his best while shooting GMA’s newest fantasy series. Text by Loretta G. Ramirez. Graphic Design by Nikki Rafaela D. Sangil Shooting on the streets of Quezon City, with the heat blazing and the crowds all straining their necks to have a glimpse of Fantastic Man in action, Mark is patiently waiting while the set is prepped for the next scene. Clad in his tight-fitting costume, he admits that the superhero gear is a bit uncomfortable because of the heat. As if proving how hot it is, beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. Being a real trooper, Mark entertained our questions good-naturedly and gave us a warm smile and eagerly posed for our cameras. The next Vic Sotto? When we first saw Mark in costume, we immediately noticed how much he resembled Vic Sotto. Like a younger version of the original Fantastic Man,. It suddenly hit us that Mark is definitely the right choice for the role. The fact that Mark is comfortable doing comedy spiels, being a semi-regular in Bubble Gang , plus his guestings in some of the GMA KiliTV shows, adds to our conviction that Mark is without a doubt the perfect choice to be the new Fantastic Man. Ladies are also constantly being linked to Mark, but like Bossing, he has managed to stay safely on the sidelines and dodge the rumors about his love life. Undoubtedly, we are sure that rumors will again circulate, since two ladies who were linked to Mark in the past are in the show – Ryza Cenon and Nicole Andersson. “Sa ngayon kasi, sobrang dami ng trabaho, okay na muna sa akin yung career muna. Yung relationship kasi makakapag-antay yan e. Kung makakapag-antay ako! (laughs)” admits Mark. We also asked him how he felt about Vic Sotto’s approval. Vic was quoted saying that he is happy that Mark is doing theFantastic Man series. “Syempre po para sa akin sobrang proud po ako para sa sarili ko dahil blockbuster po yung movie ni Bossing tapos natutuwa pa siya na sa akin napunta yung role. Hindi po basta basta yung naging role (ko) sa Fantastic Man at the same time ang laki po ng project na binigay ng GMA, so talagang masayang masaya ako at the same time naprepressure po ako,” confesses the newest superhero in town. A Different Mark He may have played as a super hero before, but Mark admits that this is quite different from the roles he had portrayed earlier. Aside from playing the lead, this is the first time that Mark will be playing a role as big as this. Apart from following the footsteps of Vic Sotto, which is an enormous weight on Mark’s shoulders, the story of the series is more complex, giving birth to a number of new characters and super villains. Even his characters, Fredo and Fantastic Man have evolved and some minor changes and developments were included. Fantastic Man’s powers are somewhat defined in the series. “Yung paa ko nagiging spring tapos bababa ako (mula) sa tuktok ng building at nagiging weapons at gadgets yung na sa kamay ko. Mas maraming effects and at the same time hindi siya yung normal na hero na seryoso dito. Kwela, kengkoy kaya minsan pumapalpak din,” shares Mark. But so far, he said that all his scenes are manageable. All his fights scenes are guided and coached by experienced fight directors. He also acknowledged Direk Zoren Legaspi for being his mentor. “Mabait si Direk Zoren, nagbibigay siya ng mga guide. Nakakatuwa siyang ka-trabaho, kasi ang dami niyang itinituro sa akin na parang hindi naman tinuturo din ng iba. Marami akong natututunan kay Direk.” Grateful to his mentors, Mark is also thankful that he was given the chance to play this role. No wonder the blessings keep coming his way. From being the first StarStruck Ultimate Male Survivor to being branded the Bad Boy of the Dance Floor to becoming the next super hero in town, Mark's career is truly fantastic! Catch the live action on April 14, right after Bitoy’s Funniest Videos, only on GMA. For related stories and videos of Fantastic Man, check out the following iGma features: Get ready for a Fantastic Adventure Fantastic Man, a challenge for Mark Fantastic Mark Talk about Mark's new show on the iGMA forums Tell Mark what you think through Fanatxt! Simply text MARK and send to 4627 for all telcos.